derground, are the enormous
walls of the Amorite city; great masses of rough brick forming huge
walls at least twenty-eight feet wide. No wonder the Children of
Israel, felt doubtful of victory!

Above the Amorite walls are the scattered fragments of rough mud-huts
and cattle shelters. The Israelites had no time to build anything
better until Canaan was conquered.

Above these again stand the ruined walls of a later Jewish city,
Lachish, as it was in the days of Solomon and the Jewish kings.

A fair city it must have been, built of white stone, the capitals of
some of the columns carved to resemble a ram's horn, perhaps to remind
the people of the horns of the altar in the Tabernacle. But the walls
of the Jewish Lachish have none of the massive strength of the ancient
Amorite city.

Had we space we might pause over many of the other ancient Canaanitish
cities, for the subject is of absorbing interest, but perhaps we may
return to it in a later volume. Joshua, like all God's true servants
past and present, made full use of the precious Book, and, '_There was
not a word of all that Moses commanded, which Joshua read not before
all the congregation of Israel, with the women, and the little ones,
and the strangers._' (Joshua viii. 35.)

Before he died he spoke to the people very sorrowfully about their
sins. Many of them, in spite of God's commandments and His favour and
love, had begun to serve the false gods of Canaan. The people repented
at the old leader's earnest words, and they cried, '_The Lord our God
will we serve, and His voice will we obey._' (Joshua xxiv. 24.) Joshua
made them promise to be steadfast. '_And Joshua wrote these words in
the Book of the Law of God._' (Verse 26.) From this we see that Joshua
wrote a part, at least, of the Book that is called by his name.

People have often thought it strange that the Children of Israel should
again and again break God's clear command, '_Thou shall have no other
gods before Me._' (Exodus xx. 3.) How could they have been so foolish
as to care for false gods when the living God had done so much for them?

It is the old story. A man who has once given way to drunkenness is
not safe unless he puts strong drink out of his life for ever. If he
even touches it he is liable to fall back again into its power. So it
was with the Children of Israel. The worship of false gods had been
the terrible sin of their wilderness wanderings, and now to serve the
god